Kohl’s board chair, John Schlifske, has announced his retirement and is stepping down from the position after nearly 15 years. The board unanimously elected Wendy Arlin to serve as its next chair, effective immediately, according to a Wednesday press release.
"With deep financial and retail expertise, Wendy provides valuable perspective to both the Board and the management team,” Michael Bender, Kohl's CEO and board director, said in a statement.
Arlin has been a director on Kohl’s board for three years and has chaired the finance and audit committees since May 2025. She held leadership roles at L Brands for nearly two decades and most recently was the CFO of Bath & Body Works from 2021 through her retirement in 2023.
Kohl’s also announced that it appointed a new director, Niren Chaudhary. Chaudhary was the former CEO and chair of Panera Brands and has over three decades of consumer brands experience. He joins as an independent director and will serve on the board’s audit committee.
Chaudhary’s appointment is part of Kohl’s ongoing board refreshment process, per the company.
A little over a year ago, Christine Day, former CEO of Lululemon, resigned from her role as a Kohl’s board member. She had been on the board since 2021 and was a member of the board’s compensation committee, audit committee and finance committee.
The retailer originally stated in a filing with the U.S. and Securities and Exchange Commission that her departure was not due to any disagreements with the company. Days later, another 8K filing stated that her stepping down was due to friction with the retailer.
“There is simply no way the Board could have interpreted my resignation as having no conflict issues. This was a deliberately selective edit,” Day wrote in an email regarding the matter at the time.
Kohl’s recently reported that its Q1 net sales fell 1.7%, while comps decreased 1.1%. Net loss was $14 million, a $1 million improvement from the year-ago quarter.
